“At the risk of stating the obvious, using advanced technology to predict when a volcano might erupt, at the most basic level, allows local officials to, um, save people’s lives by evacuating them. It’s hard to think of a better use of government money.
Why is Jindal’s line looking even worse now? Because, as you’ve likely heard, Alaska’s Mount Redoubt, 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted last night. And a USGS geologist confirmed to TPMmuckraker that a portion of the stimulus spending for volcano monitoring that Jindal lampooned has been slated to go to USGS monitoring Redoubt.”
(Via Talking Points Memo.)
This from a man who speaks of the government role in properly handling natural disasters. It looks like the GOP is stuck on stupid, to coin a phrase. First Palin. Now Jindal. When will the GOP this figure out?
UPDATE: I realize there is a double irony here that this eruption occurred in Alaska, Palin’s state. I wonder if she rejected the volcano monitoring money too.